The leaves are falling and there’s a chill in the air but golf season is far from over for Lacombe’s Chase Broderson.
After winning the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Golf Championship Broderson and the Medicine Hat Rattlers golf team are headed to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf National Championships.
From Oct. 18-21 at the Deer Creek Golf Club in Ajax, Ont., 21 teams of both men and women will compete for a national championship against colleges and universities from across Canada.
To get to this point the Rattlers won two regional finals and the ACAC Golf Championship in Edmonton where the men’s team won with three rounds of 23 over par. Broderson placed second in the men’s individual competition with three rounds of even par.
Heading into the tournament Broderson is feeling confident in his team.
“We’re really good. I know at the start we didn’t play our best in the first tournament but everyone’s gotten better over time,” he said. “Last year at nationals we finished third so obviously we have our eyes set on a little higher this year. We definitely are able to get that gold.”
And on an individual level Broderson explained he feels he’s playing some of the best golf of his career and hopes to continue into the national championship.
“My dad used to be a golf professional. He knows a lot about the game he’s helped me out. Playing with our golf coach down here Dylan he’s a really good guy and he’s helped me out. And also over the summers, I play with Brady McKinlay so watching him play at a high level I think playing against that good competition definitely helped me get better,” he added.
Broderson added using the days before the event to prepare and get to know the course will be important for their success. The weather he added does not look ideal with plenty of wind, rain, and cool temperatures.
“It will definitely be a grind and a mental game… I think all of us know we have the potential to win it,” he said.
Growing up as soon as Broderson was old enough to swing a club he began playing and learning the game with help from his father. All four of his grandparents are also all big golfers and golf was something that was always in his life and something to do as a family.
“I’m a pretty competitive guy. You can never be perfect you’re always looking to get better and then the social aspect of it. There’s nothing better to do with friends than go out for a round of golf,” Broderson said.
After high school, Broderson played one year on the Red Deer Polytechnic golf team before the program got cut. This is Broderson’s fourth year on the Rattlers and will be his final year competing in the ACAC. He doesn’t have any plans yet for what he will be doing but hopes to continue to play amateur golf.
“I enjoy playing amateur golf quite a bit so I’ll probably just stick with that for a bit and see how that goes. It’s something I’m still competitive at but something I do for fun.”